intransitive. Of a bullet, shell, or other projectile: to move with a series of ricochets; to rebound from a surface or surfaces. Frequently with…

Of shot fired from a gun: To keep together in a mass or cluster instead of scattering. (Said also of the gun.)

Of shot fired from a gun: see club, v. 5b.

intransitive for reflexive.

intransitive. Of a cylindrical bullet: to become bent.

transitive and intransitive. Of a bullet: (see quot. 1875).

intransitive. Of a bullet: to strike the target at an angle, so as to make an elongated rather than circular hole.

Firearms. intransitive. Of shots: to cluster about a point on a target; to form a compact group.

intransitive. Of gunshot: To travel with varying velocity, so that the pellets of one charge arrive at different times at a given point.

intransitive. Of a bullet: to expand and flatten on impact so as to resemble a mushroom. Also with out.

Of bullets: To throw off fragments on striking an object.

Of a soft-nosed bullet: To expand on impact.

intransitive. To make a brief plosive sound (see phut, n.); to move or travel while making this sound.

intransitive. Of a gun: to distribute shot in a pattern. Of shot: to be distributed in a specified way. Cf. pattern, n. 10.

intransitive. Firearms (originally and chiefly U.S.). Of a bullet or shot: to hit the target, esp. at a particular position. Also of a gun: to…